Chuck's Choices for the weekend of September 20, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret through October 6. “In this multi award-winning musical, a young, naïve American writer arrives in 1930s Berlin and is swept away by the decadent pleasures of the sexy, seedy world that is the Cabaret. At the center of it all is the beguiling Sally Bowles, who takes the stage every night. Inside the Kit Kat Klub life is beautiful, but outside the world is about to change.” Performances take place at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.


My take: After multiple revivals and substantial script and score revisions, does this dramatic portrait of a nation on the eve of destruction still have the power to shock and move an audience? Judging by the standing ovation that greeted Cabaret when we saw it, I'd say the answer is "yes, in spades." There were occasional missteps and the amplified voices were not always as clear as they might have been, but those are minor flaws in an otherwise fine production distinguished by smart direction and solid acting; see my capsule review for more details.

Mariposa Artists presents A Night With Day, a cabaret tribute to Doris Day with singer Beverly Brennan and pianist and music director Rick Jensen. The show features songs from Doris Day's big band days, her movies and musicals, and her recording career. As Day was a lifelong animal welfare activist, profits from the show will be donated to The Humane Society of Missouri. Performances take place Friday and Saturday, September 20 and 21, at 8 PM at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton, MO. For more information: brownpapertickets.com/event/422428.

My take: This is the second solo outing for Ms. Brennan, a St. Louis native (and daughter of sportscasting legend Jack Buck) who grew up on The Hill. Her first, St. Louie Woman, played to sold-out houses both here and in Chicago in 2010.  This time around she has teamed up with another legend: New York-based singer, songwriter, and music director Rick Jensen, recipient of six Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC) Awards and frequent faculty member at the St. Louis Cabaret Conference. It should be a good show. See my interview with Ms. Brennan for more background.

Held Over:

HotCity Theatre presents Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr. Sloane through September 21. “Young Mr. Sloane thought he already had a SORDID life as a hustler until he became the erotic target of his lewd landlady and her bottled-up brother! Repressed desires, power plays and an unsolved murder all make for one twisted tale!” Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org or call 314-289-4063.

My take: Orton's dark comedy/sex farce/satire is now something of a classic (it was written in 1964), if that's not too much of a contradiction. It's been a while since we've had a professional production of it locally and this appears to be a good one. "The entire cast does splendid work in this vinegar-chiffon-pie of a play," writes Steve Callahan in his review for 88.1 KDHX. "Director Bill Whitaker keeps the comedy rolling at a brisk pace, and it's much fun."

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents My Fair Lady September 6 through October 6. Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

My take: I have always loved this show, a feeling that only increased after I had the pleasure of playing Alfred P. Doolittle in Stray Dog Theatre's production a few years ago. Unlike some musical adaptations of classic plays, My Fair Lady retains the spirit and a fair amount of dialog from its original (Shaw's Pygmalion). The combination of Lerner and Loewe's score and Shaw's bit is unbeatable. "You should see this absolutely fabulous My Fair Lady if you have the chance," writes Andrea Braun in her review for 88.1 KDHX. "I don’t see how it could have been done any better, and overall, it is just a “loverly” production of an American musical theatre treasure.

Photo: John Lamb

Insight Theatre Company presents Thornton Wilder's Our Town through September 29. Performances take place in the Heagney Theatre, 530 East Lockwood on the campus of Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves. For more information, call 314-556-1293 or visit insighttheatrecompany.com.

My take: The type of small town life depicted in Wilder's play (the action place between 1901 and 1913) was already passing from the scene when it premiered in 1938. By rights it should be a museum piece by now. But the writing touches so effectively on the universal human experiences of birth, life, and death that it never seems dated. "This is a very, very important play in the history of American theatre," writes Steve Callahan in his review for 88.1 KDHX, "and its stylistic influence has been enormous. I commend Insight for bringing it to us again, and I encourage all of you to see it."